IPL 2021: 6 Rajasthan Royals (RR) Players Who Might Miss The UAE Leg Of The Tournament

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) sits at the fifth position on the points table, with 3 wins in 7 matches, before the IPL 2021 was suspended.

While the returns may look middling at best, they must be applauded for their efforts considering a new captain Sanju Samson, and with the side not having the services of Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes, who was ruled out after featuring in just one game. Other players such as Andrew Tye and Liam Livingstone had also pulled out of the tournament and returned home in wake of the covid-19 situation in India.

Now the BCCI has decided to conduct the remainder of the tournament in the UAE in September-October. However, the Royals would again be missing out on some of their star players.

Here we look at 6 Rajasthan Royals (RR) players who are likely to miss the UAE of IPL 2021:

Jos Buttler

The England players are unlikely to feature in the second half of the IPL 2021 considering their international assignments and the rest they would be needed in a packed schedule. With the IPL sandwiched between the India-England Test series and the T20 World Cup, the English players are unexpected to play a part in the second phase of the cash-rich tournament this year.

The unavailability of dynamic opener Jos Buttler would hurt the Rajasthan Royals largely as he is one of the senior players in the side, and had got into his groove with a century – a 64-ball 124 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad – right before the tournament was suspended. This would mean that Sanju Samson may push himself at the top, rendering the middle-order thinner.

Ben Stokes

Superstar all-rounder Ben Stokes was ruled out of the IPL 2021 earlier after sustaining a finger injury in Rajasthan Royals’ first match of the season while fielding. He then returned to England for surgery; he is now declared fit and will make his return with the T20 Blast for Durham.

His return to the IPL, however, is probably unlikely, considering his workload as an all-rounder and importance to England’s Test ambitions against India and in the Ashes, and in the T20 side for the World Cup.

Other all-rounders in the Royals’ side Shivam Dube and Rahul Tewatia haven’t really made any remarkable contributions this season so far.

Jofra Archer

Of all the English players in the IPL, fast bowler Jofra Archer is the one who will the most likely to pull out of the second phase of the season. Archer underwent two surgeries: one on his right hand to remove fragments of glass crushed in during a fish tank accident at home in January; the second on his long-standing right elbow problem, which has troubled him since last year.

This has also put his availability for the Test series against India in August-September in doubt. With England clearly aiming for the T20 World Cup and the away Ashes in Australia as their two major assignment, Archer, who was the MVP of IPL 2020, is likely to miss out on the remainder of the season in the UAE.

However, other pacers in the team, Mustafizur Rahman, Chris Morris, Chetan Sakariya, Jaydev Unadkat and Kartik Tyagi, have done well so far.

Liam Livingstone

Batting allrounder Liam Livingstone opted to return home early from the IPL 2021, citing “bubble fatigue” about 11 days after the tournament had commenced. Livingstone has recently been recalled into England’s T20 setup, four years after playing his first couple of T20Is. He also made his ODI debut in the series against India before the IPL.

The right-hander was in superb form during the Big Bash League, helping Perth Scorchers to the final. However, with the all-rounder getting his re-call into the T20I squad, he, too, is likely to pull out of the UAE leg of the tournament. Livingstone has played 4 matches in the IPL for the Royals – all came in the 2019 season where he scored 70 runs at a strike rate of 145.83.

Mustafizur Rahman

Mustafizur Rahman was roped in for INR 1 crore by the Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2021. He was brilliant in the first half of the season, with his variations, picking up 8 wickets at an economy of 8.30, which laudable considering the Rajasthan Royals played on batting-friendly pitches in Mumbai and Delhi. However, the Sanju Samson-led outfit might miss out on the services of the Bangladesh pacer in the UAE leg.

The BCB will not grant a no-objection certificate (NOC) to Mustafizur, and Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, for the remaining IPL due to the packed international matches ahead of the T20 World Cup. Bangladesh will fly to Zimbabwe for an all-format tour; after that, they are expected to host Australia, England, and England for white-ball matches in the lead up to the World Cup.

Andrew Tye

About a week since Livingstone flew back home, Andrew Tye had also left the IPL 2021 bubble to return to Australia. Tye hadn’t featured in any game before pulling out; he played in a solitary game for the Rajasthan Royals last season.

Tye is part of Australia’s T20 set-up, and should he be in contention for a berth on the tour Bangaladesh, and then the T20 World Cup, he might be required to pull out of the UAE leg of the IPL 2021.

Also Read: Team India Players To Get A 20-Day Break After The WTC Final